Edge grinding apparatus



April 9, 1935. R. .1. LouvlAUx EDGE GRINDING APPARATUSv 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Oct. 50, 1951 Inventor Paou/ el. Low/faux.

' g Cttorn April 9, 1935. R. J, LOUV|AUX 1,997,386

EDGE GRINDING APPARATUS FiledOct. 30, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I mentorP000/ 0/. ouv/00x.

April 9, 1935 R. J. LouvlAux 1,997,386

EDGE GRINDING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 30, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet .3

nvenfor l Cttorneg P0011/ d Low/foul.

Plil 9, 1935- R. J. LouvlAUx 1,991,386

EDGE GRINDINGV APPARATUS Filed Oct. 30, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Bnventor YF000/ el. OUV/00X.

Gttorncg Patented `Apr. 9, 1935 anni:` GmNniNG APPARATUS Raoul J;Louviaux, Toledo, Ohio, assignor toLibbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company,Toledo, Ohio,"

a corporation of Ohio Application october a0, 1931,'` serial No.A571,996

i claims. `(o1. 51 33 The present inventionrelates broadly toimprovements in grinding machines and more particularly to a machine orapparatusV for grinding the corners of sheets oi glass and the like.`

` f An important object of this invention is the `provision of agrinding machine of the character abovev described whichWi1l.operateznotonly to round.A the' corners of the glass sheet butwhich will at the` same time bevel or nishthe vsaid corners wherebyuniformlyrounded corners with Well iinished surfaces are secured. Y

Another objectloi the invention is the/provision of such a grindingmachine ofsimple, in-

expensive construction, which will "round the corners `of the glasssheetszrapidly, accurately and economically and with` a `minimum effortand :attention on the'part ofthe operator.`

Y A` further object of the invention is the provision :of suchvagrinding .machine operable for rounding the `corners of glass sheets,the edges gle orV an angle either greater or. less than al 90 angle. i'Stillanother object ofthe invention is the `provision of such agrinding/machine including an" abrading. element, togetherfwith meansifor adjustingsaid element` to f compensate forfthe Wear thereupon. Y'

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparentduring the course of the following description when taken in connectionWith'the-accompanying drawings. f

Same,

' Fig. l` is asideelevation of a grinding machiney constructed inaccordance vwith the present invention, i. *11"* Fig. 2 is a plan view.thereof,

Y. Fig. Bis anelevation'of` the the abrading element;`

. Figs. 4, `5 and dare diagrammatic views showing the swinging movement`of 'the abrading ele'- .rnent, andf4 s i i Figs. 7 andS areviewssomewhat similar `to vl'iigsl to 6 but showing the grinding of`glass sheets,.the edges of which are `disposed to form an angleeithergreater or less than a 90o angle. Y VReferring now to, thedrawings, and particularly `with reference rst tollgs. -lto 3, the

`driving means lfor supporting framework vdesignatedi in its `entiretyby the numeral I and whichmay be constructed ofvsuitable` structuralelements including 'the 7within which the iront vertical allytherethrough. grinding `machine herein provided comprises a i fourvertically disposed corner supportsforlegs V I I, I2', I3 and 'I4connected together `at one or 'aplurality `of points throughout theirvertical extent `by the horizontal cross pieces l5, I6I11 and I8; Thecross pieces I6 project beyond leg I2 and secured` at their outer ends`to a vertical leg I9..` Disposed opposite legIi is 1a vertical leg 20connected thereto by one.` or more cross pieces 2 I `and also connectedwith leg I9` by one or more cross pieces 22. i f Y Supported by the legsIii -and tgiof the framework ;IB is a substantially I -shaped bracket23` comprising a horizontal bottom portion 24. providedalong its outerlongitudinal edge with an `upstandingvertical portion 25. `Carried bythe I L-shaped bracket 23 are a plurality oi horizontally aligned`rollers 26 whichare adapted to constitute a supporting `runway for theglass sheets 21, the'corners of which are adapted to be roundj ed. Eachof the rollers V26 is provided with a plurality of grooves` 28 withinwhich the lower edges 1 of theglass sheets are received when the saidysheets are stood in a vertical position, EachrollerA 2E is` also freelymounted upon a transverse pin 29 which extends through'a verticallydisposed slot Sligformediin the upstandingfside portion 25 of bracket23and' has threaded there-` upon outwardly thereof a nut 3i.` With sucha i [Also carried by the leg` 26 above the `L-shaped bracket 23-isaforwardly projecting horizontal bar 32r upon which is slidably`mountedthesheet` retaining member 33, said member being adapted toengage-the forward vertical edges of the glass sheets 2'I so as tomaintain the said sheets in a Vertical position during` the grindingfoperation. In order to more effectively retain the sheets ina overtical position, the member`33 vis preferably,

formed with` a plurality ofgrooves or the 1ike34 sheets are received.v iY Secureclto the legsi I and 2i) oi the supporting framework I0 are thehorizontally aligned bearing brackets 35 and i365 respectively withinwhich is rotatably` mounted y, a horizontal, shaft 31.

Keyed to this shaft 3l between the bearing brackets 35- and 36 is aswinging carriage 38 provided Withga rectangular `opening. 39 extending`later- Carriedby the carriage 38 and arranged trans-f versely thereof isa relatively long bearing sleeve 40, said; sleeve being receivedthroughthe lateral opening V39 and being formed intermediate its edges of theglass able within thesaid opening. Journaled within the sleeve 4E? is ashaft 42, said shaft projecting at opposite ends beyond the said sleeveand carrying at one endrthe abrading element 43 here shown as being inthe form of a disk or Wheel pro Vvided with a plurality of grooves 44 inthe periphery thereof and which grooves are adapted to be inalignmentwith the groove 23 in the sheet supporting rollers 26.

Supported upon a horizontal platform 45 carried by frameworki 5 is anelectric -motor it driv ing through suitable reduction gearing locatedin casing 41, a shaft 43. lFixed to the outer end of shaft 48 is a crank49 carrying at its outer end a crank pin 5i) upon which is pivoted oneend of a crank arm 5|, the opposite end thereof being pivotally'connected with the swinging carriage 38 as at 52. Inasmuch as the shaft31 is rotatablymounted within bearing brackets 35 and 35, and thecarriage 38 is keyed to shaft 3i, it will be readily understood that,upon operation of motor 46 to drive shaft 48,*the crank 49 will berotated so as to reciprocate the crank arm 5i,l

and thereby cause the carriage 38Yand consequently the abrading Wheel 43to be swung back Y and forth through a vertical arc about the axis ofshaft 31. is voscillated through an arc in a plane parallel In otherwords, the abrading wheel `swinging movement thereof if desired by meansof a counter-weight 53 slidably received lupon a rod 54 secured to saidcarriage at 54'.

' In accordance with the presentinvention, the

Vabrading wheel 43 is adapted to be simultaneousyly rotated duringvertical swinging movement thereof. To this end, there is mounted uponthe f horizontal platform 55 carried by supporting framework i'rasecondv electric motor 55, the shaft 51 of which carries a sheave orpulley 58 `about which may be trained -one or a plurality of endlessbelts 5S also trained about a similar sheave Si! loosely mounted uponthe adjacent end of shaft 31 which` extends beyond bearing bracket 35.Fixed to the shaft 31 inwardly of sheave S5 is a relatively short arm 6lformed Vat its Vouter end with a horizontal bearing portion 62 withinwhich is journaled a shaft 63.v

Mounted upon this shaft 63 is 'a sheave 64 about which is trained aplurality of endless belts 65 also trained about a second sheave 55loosely received uponv shaft 31 outwardlyrof sheave 6U but securedthereto. Also carried by shaft 63 isa secondsheave 51 about which istrained a plurality of endless belts 63 also trained about a sheave 69keyed to shaft Upon operation of the motor `56, rotation will -beimparted from the motor shaft 51 to the shaft 42 and consequently to theabrading wheel 43 through the belt and sheave arrangement justdescribed. More specifically, the sheaves 50 and 56 are driven fromsheave 58,V while sheaves 64 and 61 are driven from sheave 65, thesheave 65,

being driven from sheave 61.- Due to the par ticular construction andarrangement herein provided, the abrading wheel 43 can be rotatedindependently of and simultaneously with its vertical swinging movement.

The bearing sleeve 4l] is normally maintained in a fixed positionrelative to the carriage 38 by means of the oppositely disposed machinebolts or the like 1li and 1l which pass through slots 12 in thecarriageY and engage the square central portion 4i of sleeve 45. Inorder to vary the position of the abrading wheel relative to thecarriage, however, such as when it is desired to compensate for the wearthereof, there is provided an adjusting screw 13r which passes throughlthe end plate 14 of carriage 38 and also engages the square portion 4lof sleeve 45. When it is desired to move the abrading wheel eitherinwardly or outwardly relative to the carriage, it is simply necessaryto rst loosen the bolts 'i0 and 1i and then rotate adjusting screw 13 inthe proper direction, after which the said bolts 15 and 1i can again betightened. Of course, upon any movement of the bearing sleeve 4!) eitherinwardly or,

outwardly with respect to the carriage, it is also necessary to adjustthe arm l6l rotatively upon shaft 31 so as to maintain the endless beltsV68 taut. To this end, the arm 6| is shown as being secured to shaft 31by fastening elements15 and, uponloosening of these fastening'elements,the

arm 6i may be turned upon shaft 31 to either loosen or tighten the belts68 depending upon whetherthe bearing sleeve. is movedlinwardly or Youtwardly. Y

In rounding and finishing the corners of glass sheets or plates with theVmachine above described, the said sheets 21 are rst stoodk on edge ina, vertical position upon the rollers 26, the

'motor 56 is also operated to effect a simultaneous rotation of theabrading wheel. During the oscillating movement of the abrading wheel,Ythe corners of the sheets to be rounded Will be'received within thegrooves 44, and this swinging movement oftheV abrading wheel, coupledwith the simultaneous rotation thereof, will effect the vrounding andfinishing of the corners of the glass sheets.

The particular swinging movement of the abrading wheel relativeto thecornerl to be rounded is, it is believed, clearlyV illustrated in Figs;45 and 6. Y

Although there has been -described hereinabove rand illustrated in Figs.1 to'6, the rounding of corof which `are disposed to'form either anobtuse.

angle or an acute angle. Briefly stated, this' may be accomplished byshortening or lengthening the arc through which the abrading wheel isswung. For instance, there is shown in Fig. 7 the roundingv of thecorner of a sheet of glass the edges' A and B of which are disposed toformV an lacute angle, while in Fig. 8V is shown the rounding of thecorner of a sheet of glass the edges C and ,D of which are disposed toform The motor 45 is then placed in operation ratus illustrated in Figs.'l and 8 may be provided. Thus, the crankcarried bygshaft 48 is heredesignated by the numeral 16, and the crank arm 51a (corresponding tocrank arm-5l in Fig. 1) is formed of two separate parts 11 and 18,connected together end to ,end by a turnbuckle 19 so that, upon rotationof the turn-buckle, the parts 11 and 18 may be drawn either inwardlytoward one another to shorten the over-all;

length of the crank arm or moved further apart to increasethe lengththereof. 'Ihe crank arm Sluis pivotally connected to the crank 16 `byymeans of a bolt `8l! which passes through a slot 8| inthe said `crankso that the throw of the Vcrank as well as the length of the crank armmay be varied. When rounding the corners of glass sheets, the edges ofwhich are -disposed to form an obtuse angle as in Fig. 8, the throw ofthe crank should be shortened as Well as thev length of the crank arm51a.

It is to be understood that lthe form of the invention herewith `shownand described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same,and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

l. In a machine for `grinding the corners of,Y

glass sheets, a movable abrading element, means for supporting thesheetto be ground on edge in a fixed substantially vertical position, meansfor swinging the abrading element vertically back and forth through anarc and inl engagement with the corner of the sheet to effect thegrinding thereof and while the said sheet is maintained in such fixedposition, and means for counterbalancing said abrading element. v v

V2. In a machine for grinding the corners of glass sheets, an abradingwheel, a pivotally mounted bracket for supporting said wheel, meansV forsupporting the sheet to be ground on edge in a fixed substantiallyvertical position, means for swinging said bracket about its pivot tomove the abrading wheel back "and forth through a y Y3 substantiallyvertical arc and in Yengagement with the corner of the. sheet to effectthe grinding .thereof and while the said sheet is mainmeans including arotatable crank, and a crank tained in such xed position, said lastmentioned 1 arm pivotally connectedat one end to .said crank and atitsopposite end to said bracket, means for rotating the abrading wheelduring swinging y movement thereof, and means carried by the vbracketfor counter-balancing said abrading wheel.

3. In a machine for grinding the corners` of i glass sheets, asupportingframework, a substantially; horizontal supporting runway carried by.V f

saidframework and adapted Vto Vsupport a plu- "rality of sheets to beground on edge in xed sub,-

stantially vertical position, said runway having a plurality `of spacedgrooves for receiving the lower edges of the said sheets therein,horizontally spaced bearing brackets carried by the framework, ahorizontal shaft journaled in said bearing brackets, a swingablecarriage keyed to said shaft, an abrading wheel carried by the carlriage and having a plurality of peripheralgrooves in substantialalignment with'the grooves in said runway, means for swinging saidYcarriage to` move the abrading Wheel bodily vertically through anarc ina plane parallel with the plane of thei-V sheets andl in engagement withlthe corners thereof, and means forv rotating the abrading wheel. Y

4. In a machine for grindingl the corners of `glass sheets, a supportingframework, a'series of substantially horizontally aligned rolls carriedby'said framework andadaptedl to support a plurality of sheets to beground on edge inxed substantially vertical position, said rolls havinga Aplurality of spaced grooves for receivinguthe.

lower edges of the said sheets therein, means` rengaging the sheets formaintainingthem in proper vertical position, horizontally spaced bearingbrackets carried by the framework, a

horizontal shaftjournaled in said bearing brackets, a swingable carriagekeyed tosaid shaft, an

abrading wheel carried by the carriage and having a plurality ofperipheral grooves in substantial valignment with the grooves in saidrolls,

means forswinging said carrage` to move the` abrading wheel bodilyvertically through van arc in a :plane parallel with the `plane of thesheets and in engagement with the corners thereof,

means for rotating ther abrading Wheel, and .means for counterbalancingsaid swingable carriage. l

RAOUL J... LOUVIAUX.

